Bulk Purchase Insecticidal Soap

2 years ago

I am using insecticidal soap to control aphids on a Mandevilla. Insecticidal soap is basically a potassium overdose in a fatty acid form with some emulsifier or surfactant added. It is safe for animals but coats the insects and delivers too much potassium and dehydrates them. It definitely works, but the vine is so extensive that I end up missing patches of aphids, and they quickly expand to new places. So I end up spraying the patches I find daily, and that is a hassle.

Does anyone make insecticidal soap in a larger bulk size, maybe as a concentrate I can mix? Does it make any sense to spray the entire plant? I get the sense that this damages the flowers on the vine, and dehydrates them, probably by a similar mechanism.

Featured Answer

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)

2 years ago

IMO, Dramm carries the widest range of spray nozzles and with various spray patterns and strengths. Most better garden centers carry them. I have 3 different ones.

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Comments (6)

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
2 years ago
Insecticidal soap does come as a concentrate but with a size limit. Not sure how much 'bulk' is required for a single vine....

I'd be concerned about a need to apply daily - youcan apply too much insecticidal soap. It can damage foliage, shouldn't be applied at high temperatures and needs to be timed properly to avoid phytotoxicity.

You will likely have just as good success - maybe even better - if you hose down the plant daily with a strong stream of water. It kills the insects in much the same manner, you can't overdo it and hose nozzles with very directional spray patterns available will help get it into all the nooks and crannies and leaf undersides. And it doesn't cost much.
westes Zone 9b California SF Bay thanked gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
iochroma
2 years ago
Here

https://www.amazon.com/Safer-Brand-Insecticidal-Pyrethrin-Concentrate/dp/B00BIDYQCG/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1L1IEFR074BA5&keywords=safer+soap+concentrate&qid=1694116547&sprefix=Safer+soap%2Caps%2C174&sr=8-2

https://www.amazon.com/Safer-Brand-Insect-Killing-Concentrate/dp/B00CJIANK8/ref=sr_1_3?crid=1L1IEFR074BA5&keywords=safer+soap+concentrate&qid=1694116632&sprefix=Safer+soap%2Caps%2C174&sr=8-3

I've used both.
westes Zone 9b California SF Bay thanked iochroma
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westes Zone 9b California SF Bay
Original Author
2 years ago
@gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9) I don't suppose you know of a spray head that will let me direct a narrow spray at much lower pressure than the full pressure on the water line? When I tried this it was knocking off all the flowers on the Mandevilla. I would like to be able to hold up a stem in one hand and have a very precise spray work on a section of stem I point at.
westes Zone 9b California SF Bay
Original Author
2 years ago
Can someone tell me the long-term effects on a Mandevilla if I allow the aphids to thrive on the plant?

If I spray with insecticidal soap or spray the plant with water, I can knock them off for about two days before they reappear en masse, and unfortunately, those efforts destroy the blooms on the plant, so it's not a zero-cost therapy.

If I do nothing, the plant gets a highly invasive infestation of aphids. See the photo below. It looks like that photo everywhere on the Mandevilla now.

Is there any option for a natural predator to keep these in check? What would be the best alternative?
westes Zone 9b California SF Bay
Original Author
2 years ago
Is the any vendor in the US who can sell me Brown Lacewing larvae, who has the product in stock?